Egyptian MP: ‘Nobody Will Succeed in Pushing Egypt Into War With Syria’

Egypt and Turkey are at odds over the ongoing civil
war in Syria with the diplomatic division between the two countries reflecting
broader disagreements over both international and domestic policy matters.

Sputnik discussed the matter with Mahmoud Bader,
an Egyptian parliamentary deputy, representating the “In Love of Egypt”
party and the organizer of the “Tamarod” (Rebellion) movement.

When asked to speak about Turkish aggression
against Syria, Mahmoud Bader said that, unlike fellow Sunnis,
like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the Emirates and Qatar, “Egypt has made its
decision and taken the right attitude towards the Turkish aggression
against our fellow Arab state. This stance is supported by every
faithful Arab who cares about his/her Arab identity”.

He also said that all attempts to persuade Egypt
to take part in the aggression against Syria would fail because
Egyptian MPs always put the interests of the Egyptian and Arab people
ahead of everything else.

“Article 1 of the Egyptian Constitution states
that ‘the Egyptian people are a part of the Arab nation that maintains its
integrity and unity; Egypt is a part of the Islamic World; it belongs to the
continent of Africa; it treasures its expansion in Asia; and it
contributes to the development of human civilization’” Mahmoud Bader
said.

He noted that the government and the new parliament
of Egypt shared the same attitude towards Egyptian and Arab national
security, as well as concerns affecting the Arab Nation
in general.

“It is natural that Egypt, which plays a leading role
in the Arab Nation’s issues, protects the Arab states, including
against attempts to entangle them in wars that rage in Syria
and other Arab nations.”

Mahmoud Bader said that Egypt was aware of the
great international powers’ attempts to control the entire region, and
that it was why it refused to participate in the ongoing war
in Syria.

“[They are trying to achieve this] by pushing
some Arab countries to fight the Syrian Arab Army, which is one
of the pillars of Arab National Security. The return of Syria
as a united state depends on the existence of the Syrian Arab
Army,” Mahmoud Bader emphasized.

The philosophy of pan-Arabism is a core theme
in Egyptian political thought. From 1958 until 1961, Egypt and Syria
were the only members of the United Arab Republic, part of an
ultimately unsuccessful attempt to create a pan-Arab state.

Today Syria's flag is the same one that was adopted
by the short-lived union. Opponents to Arab nationalism include
Daesh, which removed textbooks on the subject from schools
after it had risen to power.

assange

At midday on Friday 5 February, 2016 Julian Assange, John Jones QC, Melinda Taylor, Jennifer Robinson and Baltasar Garzon will be speaking at a press conference at the Frontline Club on the decision made by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on the Assange case.